'Jail and castrate them': Provest backs tough new laws

Anyone caught with 500 grams to one kilo of methamphetamine faces life imprisonment.

Attorney General Gabrielle Upton announced the new NSW law to replace a 20 year penalty yesterday.

"We believe serious drug manufacturers and dealers spreading this poison throughout the community must be held to higher account," she said.

Tweed MP Geoff Provest has backed the legislation because he believes it meets with the community's expectations.

"Ice a very insidious drug," Mr Provest said. "It's cheap to produce, it is the most highly illicit substance and its caused a wide amount concern from the violence and to the crime rate and the damage that it does to families.

"We've had enough of it. We're going to take control back of our streets."

With a single "point" (0.1 of a gram) of ice about $45, it is expected the indictable amount will deter drug deals with a potential to impact thousands of users.

A number of recent drug busts on the Tweed would have been met with the penalty.

Earlier this month Strike Force Tucker confiscated ice with a street value of over $150,000 from two storage facilities between Ballina and Tweed Heads.

In April, Strike Force Mitla saw a 35-year-old woman at Tweed Heads Local Court for supplying 592 grams of ice.

"There's been some pretty serious history (of drug offences) here on the Tweed," Mr Provest said.

"We do live near the Pacific highway which is a major funnelling point for drugs to and from the Gold Coast."

Mr Provest said more tough criminal laws were on their way, including a proposal to chemically castrate repeat child sex offenders.

"I support that absolutely," Mr Provest said. "I wouldn't have a second moments thought. We have to do everything we can to protect our children.

"It upsets me so much when I hear people tell their life stories and I think we should do a hell of a lot more.

"If you're a convicted repeat pedophile I would have no sympathy whatsoever and I would support chemical castration for that criminal," he said.

Western Australia and Victoria courts already order chemical castration as part of release conditions for repeat sex offenders.